


Hands Off

by artem_ace



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 07:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3642006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artem_ace/pseuds/artem_ace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Nico di Angelo. That’s me." Nico said. The blonde looked embarrassed and handed Nico his towel. "Er, sorry about that, I-I guess I just assumed it was mine, I mean, not many people at this gym would have a towel covered in superheroes." The man stammered. Nico took the towel between his index finger and his thumb and made a face.</p>
<p>(in other words its the “oops I stole your gym towel” au)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands Off

_4_ _8…. 49… 50_

Nico finished his third set of reps and sat up. Wiping his hair from out of his eyes, he reached for his gym towel only to discover that it wasn’t next to him.  _'Must've left it on the elliptical_ ' he thought.

Nico sat up and stretched his arms, making his war over to the machines in the corner where he thought he left his towel. And he did find his towel. Currently being used to wipe the sweat off a buff blonde dude. The guy had his back to Nico and he was tapping something into his music player with his right hand, and wiping the back of his neck with a towel.  _Nico’s_ towel.

Nico hesitated before tapping his shoulder. The blonde man had to be about a foot taller than him. “Um excuse me?” The man turned around and his blue eyes widened at the sight of Nico scowling.

"Hi, can I help you?" He asked after taking his headphones out of his ears.

"Yes, actually. That’s my towel." Nico said, pointing to the towel that was now laying on the mans shoulder. The blonde look confused. "No, I’m pretty sure it’s mine…" The man responded.

"My name’s on it." He was right, the blue eyed boy saw. Written on the tag in messy black print was-

“ _Nico di Angelo_. That’s me.” Nico said. The blonde looked embarrassed and handed Nico his towel. “Er, sorry about that, I-I guess I just assumed it was mine, I mean, not many people at this gym would have a towel covered in superheroes.” The man stammered. Nico took the towel between his index finger and his thumb and made a face.

"Oh, crap, I got it all gross, I’m so sorry. You can use mine I guess? Wait,  _sacapuntas_ , I lost it-“

"Did you just say ‘pencil sharpener’ in Spanish?" Nico interrupted. Jason face changed from confused to embarrassed once he realized what he had said. "Uh, yeah, my Spanish teacher sophomore year told us to avoid cussing by using the Spanish term for everyday objects… I guess it just sort of stuck?" Nico chuckled.

"Really? That’s great." He laughed. "It’s fine. Really." He said, draping the towel over his neck. The man was still blushing. Nico couldn’t help but think he was attractive. Anybody would be crazy not to. At about 6’2" the man stood wearing a purple shirt that was tight across his muscular frame and gray sweat pants. His blonde hair was short but messy presumably from the workout he had been doing earlier. Nico could relate, he had to keep his dark hair back in a ponytail to keep it out if his face while he exercised. And,  _ay mio dio_ , those  _eyes_ -

"Jason by the way. Jason Grace." The man said.  _Jason_. Nico liked it. It suited him. “Nice to meet you, Jason.” Nico stuck out his hand and Jason shook it.

"Maybe I’ll see you another time Mr. Grace." Nico stated, before turning to leave. "Wait!" Jason stopped him by grabbing his wrist, causing Nico to pull his arm back with a glare.  _What did this guy want?_ Jason looked really uncomfortable under Nico’s harsh gaze.

"Who’s your favorite?" He blurted.  _His favorite? What was this guy on about?_  “Excuse me?” Nico asked. Even Jason seemed surprised at his sudden outburst. He cringed at his own awkwardness.

"I- uh- your towel. The Avengers? I meant to ask which Avenger was your favorite…" Jason’s face was bright red against his fair skin and he bit his lip self consciously. Nico raised an eyebrow. "Iron Man…?" He answered carefully. Jason seemed to escape his trance of embarrassment.

"Really? Iron Man? Oh, come on Nico, he’s  _everybody’s_ favorite. I’m disappointed. I expected more from you.” The taller man scoffed. He crossed his arms, a perfect display of a disappointed father. An extremely hot disappointed father.

"Well, then, who’s your favorite, Blondie?" Nico inquired defensively. Jason looked down at him and leaned against the machine. "Captain America." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Ah, the first avenger. I can respect that." Nico nodded. "You’d make a perfect Steve Rogers to be honest." He added. Jason’s eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"I’m serious. Blonde super soldier with a dashing smile and pretty blue eyes. You match the description perfectly." A blush crept its way up Jason’s neck and onto his cheeks. Nico decided he liked making him blush. "Although, I doubt  Captain America would go around taking peoples gym towels." He mused.

"Shut up." Jason muttered, the red still completely noticeable and making it’s way to the tips of his ears. Nico laughed at his expression.

The two men talked for a few more minutes before Nico had to leave, Jason quite obviously flirting.

"I’ve got to go." Nico said checking his phone. He had a missed call from his sister, Hazel. He was supposed to meet her and Frank in about an hour for dinner. "It was nice talking to you." Jason stopped him.

"Yeah. Maybe we could meet up sometime? Continue the nice talking over coffee or something?"  _Was he really asking him out?_ Nico tried not to look too surprised.

"Uh, sure." He replied. Who would say no to a handsome, charming, nerd like Jason? Certainly not Nico.

"Great! Can I have your number?" He asked, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

Didn’t mean Nico couldn’t have a little fun with it. “Absolutely!” Jason smiled and handed his phone to Nico. “ _If_  we happen to meet again and you  _don’t_  take my stuff.” Nico finished, handing his phone back with a smirk. “But-” He started. “Bye Jason.” Nico threw a wave over his shoulder as he walked away. There was no doubt in his mind that he would see him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nico pulled his phone out of the pocket of his gym shorts. Another missed message, this time a text from Frank asking him to “please freaking call your sister, I’m genuinely scared for my life right now.” Nico rolled his eyes and found her contact in his phone. He pressed the call button and brought the phone up to his ear softly humming to himself as the phone began to ring.

"It’s about time you called back." He heard his sister, well half sister, technically, on the other side of the line. "Hello to you too." He replied. He could almost feel the annoyed glare she was sending to him from across town.

"So, what have you done to get poor Frank so terrified this time?" He questioned, taking his time to look both ways before crossing the street. Hazel sighed. "I’m just getting stressed about the dinner is all." She admitted. "And I may have told him I would castrate him if he didn’t get out of the kitchen…" She added reluctantly.

Nico laughed. “Okay, 1. Frank was probably just trying to help and 2. What are you so worried about? It’s just me that’s coming over, right?” He had gone to Hazel and Frank’s apartment for dinner plenty of times.

"It’s your 21st birthday, Nico. That a big deal! Legal drinking age and all that. And I know he’s trying to help, but he knocked over the entire seasoning rack. How am I supposed to make good shrimp gumbo without any spices?!"

Nico sighed and moved to the right to avoid the couple walking past him. “Hazel, I don’t even like gumbo. It’s my birthday dinner, shouldn’t  _I_ choose what we have?” He complained.

"Well you’ve never had  _my_  gumbo. And no, because I know you, and you’d probably have us order  McDonald’s or something.” Hazel was right.

"I really don’t see the problem with that." Nico grumbled. He heard a commotion on the other side of the call. "Hazel?" A dish broke. "What’s going on over there?"

"Off the counter!! Riley, NO, stop!!"

He heard Hazel pleading with the puppy she and Frank adopted last month. Another dish broke. “Frank, GET THE DAMN DOG OUT OF HERE!”

"Yeah, well, I think I’m going to let you go…" Nico announced.

"WAIT-"

"Love you, see you later!" He interrupted, then hit END CALL. Hazel would be furious, but she had other things to do right now. On the rest of the way to his apartment Nico thought about the blonde man he had met earlier. Jason. Nico smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a quick shower, Nico got dressed and called a cab to take him to Hazel’s. Honestly it didn’t feel any different to be 21. Today was the same as last Tuesday, which was the same as the Tuesday before and every other Tuesday in life up until this point. He woke up, wasted time on the internet, went to the gym for a workout, and occasionally ate with his sister and her boyfriend. The only thing that struck him as new was the man he had met at the gym earlier. It wasn’t often that someone like Jason could capture his attention.

In the backseat of the cab Nico replayed the conversation from earlier today. He was positive that Jason had been hitting on him. Now, Nico had to figure out why _. Had it been a joke some of his friends put him up to?_  No, he seemed to be alone at the gym, and this wasn’t high school, most people his age were mature enough not to want to do that anyway.  _Did he think he was easy_? Doubtful. Nico had a pretty strong barrier when it came to things like that. Not that he was a virgin, but Nico was most definitely  _not_ easy. Besides, Jason hadn’t seemed to be trying to get in his pants.

_Was it possible that Jason actually liked him?_ While that was something Nico had never really experienced, it seemed to be the most logical answer. Maybe he could ask Hazel tonight.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the cabbie pulled up to the apartment building and parked outside. Nico payed the man and walked inside with his hands in his pockets. The lady at the front desk remembered him from the many times he had visited, and let him up with a short nod. Nico hummed a tune under his breath as he climbed up the stairs. Upon reaching the apartment, the door was opened before he could knock, and Nico found himself entangled in a pair of arms clad in thin pink material. He pulled out of the embrace to see Hazel wearing an apron with the words “ **Dam Good Cook** " written underneath a beaver with a bowl and spoon.

"Happy birthday little brother!" She exclaimed before dragging him over to the dining room table. "Here, have a seat." She demanded, shoving him down into a chair next to Frank, then rushing over to the stove to get the gumbo into bowls.

"Hey, Nico." Frank said, offering Nico a party hat from the table. He had one already strapped to his head, making his head look bigger than it already was. Frank was a pretty big guy and when he and Nico first met, the younger boy had been pretty intimidated. Turns out he didn’t need to be, apparently Frank had been terrified of Nico. Many people were  and he didn’t really understand why. The person Frank should really have been scared of was Hazel, something he discovered quickly.

"Happy 21st birthday, dude." He said after putting the party hat down. "Thanks." Nico muttered. Riley jumped from the floor onto the table and scurried over to Frank. The small Labradoodle looked back at Nico and greeted him with a  _woof._

"I swear she’s part cat sometimes." Hazel walked back into the dining room carrying a tray of bowls of soup. "Need any help?" Nico offered. Hazel just shook her head and made her way to the table, mentioning something about birthdays and guests and independence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shrimp gumbo was actually really good. Maybe not Happy Meal good, but Nico liked it, and made a point to tell Hazel. While eating they made small talk (or Hazel asked questions, Nico avoided them, and Frank sat quietly enjoying his food).

"Got a boyfriend yet?" Hazel asked suddenly. Nico blushed when Jason popped into his head.

"Nope." He shook his head.  _Maybe soon._

"Girlfriend?"

"No, Hazel, it would seem as though I’m still a flaming homosexual." He said taking another bite of his birthday dinner. Hazel was always trying to set him up with her friends, both male and female, in the hopes of making him " _less of a lonely loser”_  as she so eloquently put it. Nico was  _not_ lonely. He just happened to enjoy being alone.

"Well, if you’re interested, I have this friend-"

"Hazel, quit pestering the poor boy." Frank interrupted. Nico had forgotten he was there. He gave him a grateful smile, though he knew that wouldn’t stop his sister.

Hazel sent Frank a glare. “I just want my little brother to be happy.  _Anyway,_ his name is Jason and-” Nico stopped listening.  _Jason? Could it be the Jason from the gym earlier?_

"Jason?" he asked. Hazel eyes widened a bit. This was the first time Nico had shown even remote interest in one of Hazel’s suggestions.

"Yeah, do you know him?" she questioned. Nico shrugged. "Tall, Blonde, likes Captain America, slightly awkward, insanely attractive?" He described. Hazel laughed.

"No, actually, the Jason I was talking about has dark hair and refuses to watch any of the Marvel movies because he’s convinced they’re a ploy by the government to force us into submission." Nico raised an eyebrow. "….Okay?" Hazel’s face broke into a smile. "Yeah, he’s a little strange." Nico nodded.

"I think I like my Jason better." He decided.

“ _Your_  Jason?” Hazel repeated with a grin. Nico sighed.

"Not like that Hazel." He said rolling his eyes. "Besides, I only just met him today." Frank asked how they met. Hazel demanded all the details. So Nico told them, starting off with his missing gym towel. As Nico recounted the event, Riley decided it was a good idea to chew on his shoes. He had anticipated this would happen and had prepared by wearing his old converse that she had already nibbled on before.

"Okay hold on. You mean to tell me you  _didn’t_ give him your number?” Hazel asked as he was nearing the end of his story. Nico blushed.

"I was trying to flirt." He admitted sheepishly.

"… By  _not_  giving him your number?”

"Even I know that’s a bad idea!" Frank said.

Nico was embarrassed. “Shut up.” He crossed his arms. “At least now he’ll have to talk to me again.”

"True." Hazel mused. "Anyway, it’s time for cake. We can talk about your flirting skills later."

Frank went to get the cake and then he and Hazel sung a very out of tune “Happy Birthday”.  As Nico went to blow out the candles Hazel nudged him.

"Make a wish."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week later Jason Grace stood in the lobby of the gym looking for the dark haired Italian he had met last Tuesday. He’d been there for an hour already and there was no sign of Nico.

So, this is what it felt like to be stood up. It sucked. ‘ _He couldn’t have stood you up’_  the logical part of his brain argued.  _'You never agreed to meet here at a certain time.'_ Jason told his brain to shut up.

_Thirty minutes_. He’d give Nico thirty more minutes, then he would leave. Jason decided to sit in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs available alongside the bright blue walls. He sat, trying to look as though he wasn’t a complete loser by playing Solitaire on his phone.

Thirty minutes later, Jason looked at the time, sighed, and gathered his things, preparing to leave.

"An hour and a half is an awfully long time to wait." A voice spoke to his left. Jason turned and saw none other than Nico di Angelo himself standing next to him.

"Nico!" He smiled. "Wait. How long have you been here?"

"Er, I  _may_  have kinda sorta been here the whole time…” His right hand came up to tug on his bangs.

Jason gave him a confused look. “Why didn’t you come over here?”

Nico cheeks turned a dark shade of red. “I wanted to see how long you would stay.” He shrugged and continued to pull on his hair.

"…Okay? Anyway, how’s your day going?"

"Good. And yours?"

They continued to talk, Nico gradually gaining confidence and starting to return the older boys flirting. About 20 minutes later Jason regrettably informed him that he had to leave to get ready for work.

"I guess I’ll see you another time, then?"

"Actually, I was thinking, maybe you could give me your number so we can meet up and hang out sometime?" Jason asked. "I mean, last time we talked you said you would give it to me." He added.

Nico crossed his arms. “Actually, if I remember correctly, I said you could have my number  _if_  you kept your hands off my stuff.”

Jason scratched his head. “But… I don’t have anything of yours??”

Outwardly, he smirked, although in his mind, he was praying he wouldn’t stutter or say something idiotic.

"You have my attention."

Nico winked as he slipped a small piece of notebook paper out of the pocket of his gym shorts and into Jason’s then walked away. Jason, flustered, took the scrap of paper from his pocket and looked to see a phone number scrawled across it along with a “

Call Me :P”.  _That little shit._

"You just like messing with my head don’t you?" Jason called after him. Nico doesn’t answer, electing instead, to stop and wiggle his hips before continuing to the gym machines.

_That cute little shit._

**Author's Note:**

> So here's my second fic :3 I will continue uploading fics here from my tumblr in the order they were posted there. If you wan't to follow me my main/personal blog is artem-ace.tumblr.com and my pjo blog is demi-will-solace.tumblr.com


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